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May 1997 Newsletter Article

Title: Career Corner - Sport Psychologist

Author: Ray Lauenstein  

Virtually every Olympic athlete at the  the 2000 Summer Games in Sidney had, at some time, worked with a Sport Psychologist. Sometimes referred to as a mental coach, performance consultant or mental skills trainer, the Sport Psychologist does for your mind what the conditioning coach does for your body.

Coaches and athletes alike are realizing that success on the field is predominantly dictated by who is mentally the toughest, the most confident and resistant to stress and fear. Many people can perform flawlessly in practice but few can carry that over to an intense competition in front of thousands of people, with the league title or a world championship on the line. Sport Psychologists help athletes with these and many other situations.

Most sport psychologist work from the educational framework and assume the athlete to be a healthy, well-adjusted human being. In contrast a clinical or counseling psychologist works from the disease model which assumes the client has a problem which needs help. In doing so the Sport Psychologist generally works to aid the athlete in building on and refining the mental skills they already possess.

The educational backgrounds of todays sport psychologists vary. In order to call yourself a psychologist of any type you must be certified with the state board based on your academic degree and state licensing. There are several academic routes to take. Many have a physical education and sports science background. Others have a clinical and counseling education and specialize in sport psychology. Currently there are dozens of programs in the United States which offer both Ph.d. and Masters programs in Sport Psychology.

Coursework generally includes: several sport science classes such as exercise physiology, motor learning, kinesiology, statistics, research methods; sport psychology, sociology, philosophy and history, and counseling based classes as well.

The job outlook is not abundant. Most will pursue a teaching position at the university level which usually includes consulting with the teams and athletes. This requires a PhD. Those with masters degrees can teach at Junior or Community colleges and high schools, become academic advisors for athletic programs or branch off into the private sector in a number of areas. Unusually the more entrepreneurial you are the more opportunities you will have.

The reality is that there are very few "Dream Jobs" of consulting for the Dallas Cowboys or the NY Yankees. The bright side is that the field is being recognized and accepted by more athletes and coaches. The opportunity lies in educating coaches about sport psychology and how they can apply it successfully.

Email the Athletes Advisor for information about this field and academic programs offered.